Wolfsonian Digital Labs — Hotspot Interactive
Proof of Concept

Arts of Persuasion

Select a poster below to explore the persuasion techniques used in World War II propaganda. Touch the blue markers on each image to reveal information about different methods of persuasion at work.

About this project
An early proof of concept exploring how annotated hotspots can support close looking and critical analysis of objects from the Wolfsonian collection. Using WWII-era propaganda posters as a starting point, the format and content here are iterative and will continue to evolve.
How it works
Built in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript with no external libraries. Markers are absolutely positioned over the poster image using percentage-based coordinates so they scale across screen sizes, with CSS tooltips appearing on hover and touch events handled for mobile. Gallery and poster views are managed as a simple JavaScript show/hide toggle, keeping the experience fast and self-contained.
United We Win Thumbnail
United We Win
Explore techniques like Transfer, Bandwagon, and Plain Folks appeal in this WWII poster.
Explore poster →
Work to Keep Free Thumbnail
Work to Keep Free
Discover how Transfer and Patriotic Appeal were used to motivate wartime production.
Explore poster →